Ainsley is ONE!!

Note:  I wrote this on Wednesday, but didn't get it published until today. 

One year ago today, our precious little ball of energy was born in the middle of a huge snow storm.  What a difference a year makes!  Today was beautiful, 50 degrees with a light wind, and sunny.  A far cry from last year's 18+ inches of snow and freezing temperatures.

Oh, what a year it's been!  I'll never forget leaving the hospital with Ainsley.  There was still snow on the roads in downtown Springfield, and I was in the back seat with her completely stressed out!  For one, Joel was driving.  Enough said there.  Two, didn't all the people driving like idiots around us know that we had an itty bitty newborn baby in our car and they needed to stay in their own lane?!?!  It may have been a little easier, if you could have distinguished one lane from another, but the snow didn't help the situation there.  It was the most nerve wracking 15 minute drive out of Springfield in my entire life! 

When we finally got home, Joel and I just sat in the living room looking at each other smiling from ear to ear.  We were finally parents, and we were home with our little girl.  The fun was just beginning.  The next few months were a blur of changing diapers, feeding Ainsley, baths, running on little sleep, and did I mention changing diapers and feeding Ainsley?  I don't think our house was cleaned for a good six weeks or so after getting home from the hospital.  I was lucky to get a shower every few days.  I had to make myself stay up to eat something.  Who needs food when you could get some sleep instead?! 

A few of my favorite memories the first few weeks were:  just holding Ainsley.  I loved how she would curl up in this tiny little ball on your chest and sleep.  The way she would look up and just stare at me.  Her first smile came on a day that I needed it most.  I had taken her to a doctor's appointment by myself, and she screamed in her carseat the entire way to Jacksonville.  I was so frazzled by the time we finally made it home.  I took her out of her carseat, and she looked up at me with her big eyes and grinned.  I remember sitting there crying, calling Joel (while crying....which scared the crap out of him) and not wanting to put her down after that.  One of the things I'm sure I'll never forget during the first few weeks was Ainsley pooping all over Joel!  I was sleeping in our bedroom and I was woke up by Joel yelling "SHIT!"  I was scared to death.  I ran into the living room to see what was wrong and he very literally meant "shit" when he yelled.  She had pooped all over him!

Everyone told us how fast time would go after we had Ainsley.  They weren't kidding!  Where did the last year go???  The next few months of Ainsley cooing, laughing, and getting a little personality went by just as fast as the first few weeks.  I didn't know what I was going to do when we found out Ainsley needed to wear a helmet.  My perfect little princess was suppose to have bows in her hair everyday that matched her cute outfits, not a big pink helmet with a knit hat underneath that never seemed to stay in place.  We survived the helmet, just like we survived the numerous visits to the neurologist, hearing that our baby may have developmental delays, visits to the physical therapist, and various other doctors visits for allergic reactions, rashes, etc.  I've already decided that year two is going to be much better than year one when it comes to doctors.  We only have her well baby checkups scheduled for 2012, and I'm hoping to keep it that way.  No more specialists for us!

I know Joel will agree with me when I say that we fall more in love with our daughter every day.  She continues to develop her own personality and is such a sweetheart.  She loves to cuddle with you, give hugs and kisses, and say "A-boo" (love you).  She's started to become shy, especially around strangers.  She loves to look at books, wrestle with Daddy on the floor, and go bye-bye. 

I took her to Bluffs to meet Daddy for her birthday lunch.  First, we went to the bank first to deposit her birthday money.  While at the bank, Pam decided that since she is now one year old, she could have a sucker.  Ainsley didn't want anything to do with the sucker, which is hard to believe.  1.  because it's food, and 2.  because it's sweet.  Ainsley likes all sweet food....or so we thought!  Pam thought she just didn't like the sucker because it was a light colored one and didn't make a mess.  If I would have let her give Ainsley a blue one, maybe she would have liked it more.  Nice try, but she'll have to try that one when Ainsley's with her Dad!

After visiting at the bank, we headed to Placke's.  Ainsley didn't eat very much, and even got....(gasp!) free ice cream for her birthday, which she didn't eat either.  She usually loves ice cream.  Brad himself even tried feeding the ice cream to her using the "airplane" technique to no avail.  I think she was tired and shy.

That's my girl...always sober!

She ended up falling asleep on the way home and slept for a good hour or so once we got home.  I made cupcakes for Ainsley to take to daycare the day before for her birthday and kept a few back for her actual birthday.  I gave her one after supper, and she dug right into it.

Mommy makes good cupcakes!

It's so much fun playing with the cupcake!

After her bath, she helped Mommy put away some of her clothes that are too small (all the cake she ate in the last week had nothing to do with her growing waist!)  She loves playing in her room.  It's really more like destroying her room.  It's amazing how fast her room can turn into a huge mess when she's in there "playing".  I know that's only going to get worse in the years to come.

You can see the little stinker in the upper corner trying to get out of the picture.  Don't let her fool you, though.  That mess is solely her doing!

Here, Mom...I think you need this.

Here's a quick video showing just how crazy our sweet little girl can be. 

I'm looking forward to what 2012 has in store for us.  Happy 1st Birthday to our sweet Ainsley-bug.  Mommy and Daddy love you to pieces!!!